Family Traditions

Last night I sat with your Daddy on the couch to watch television (the 17th season of Survivor...proof that I really do love him) and noticed we were both cuddled up in our favorite quilts made by my Grandma Ginny (my Daddy's Mom). She was an amazing quilter. She made such beautiful, perfect stitches and spent so much time making everything perfect. So many of my memories of her are with her glasses on and a thimble on her finger. She had a huge thimble collection. I apparently got my procrastination gene from that side of the family, because she had a habit of starting many projects and leaving them just slightly unfinished. I am pretty sure this was my baby quilt, but she didn't finish it until after I was married!

This is my favorite quilt that Grandma made for me. She gave it to me when I went to college, and I had it on my bed the whole time. It looks like a simple pattern, but one of the reasons I love it is because she chose all of those little pieces of fabric especially for me. When you look closely, they all match their adjacent pieces beautifully.


After Grandma died, Mamo learned how to quilt in order to use the thousands of pieces of fabric Grandma had tucked away. I wish they had quilted together...it is one of those things that should be shared and passed down from generation to generation...but Mamo figured it out and went on a quilting rampage for a few years. We have lots of quilts made by Mamo, but this is my favorite. She took all of my college t-shirts and made the quilt out of them.

You already have some beautiful quilts made just for you. Your Aunt Susan made this one. When you were tiny, before you could even sit up, it was your favorite place to practice rolling over. You loved looking at the little pictures!

Anyhow, as a little boy (and someday man...boo hoo!) I'm sure much of this may be lost on you. But it is important. When someone creates something for someone they love there is a piece of them in it. They spent their precious time thinking about what you would like, and while they stitched those pieces together they were thinking about you the whole time, wanting you to enjoy the result of their work. And on the other side, the gift is so special. Even though she's been gone for almost eight years, a little piece of my Grandma is wrapped around me when I cuddle up in her quilts.

PS: You can click on each of the small pictures for a larger, detailed version!